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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 10/17/22
    First Name: David
    Last Name: Beltran-Barajas
    Organization: Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
    City: N/A
    State: N/A
    Attachment: N/A
    Number: RIN-2590-AB21

  • Comment

    Dear Director Thompson and FHFA team,

    My name is David and I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m writing in response to the FHFA Multifamily Enterprise Housing Goals Proposed Rule Comment Request: ‘Community Support Requirements, (No. 2022–N–11) Multifamily Enterprise Housing Goals Proposed Rule.

    I've lived in Las Vegas all my life, its the only home I've known and all my family, both by blood and chosen live here too. Las Vegas used to be considered a cheap city to live in, and due to the casino industry many people from across the country would come here to live a good life and contribute to our city. Unfortunately in the past 3 years, Las Vegas has seen the same struggles that so many other cities have seen. Our city has become almost completely unaffordable to live in. In the Eastside of Las Vegas where I've spent many years, the rents have ballooned to unimaginable rates. This area that is humble and often times neglected used to serve as one of the last affordable bastions in the city, now rents price out people who've been living in the area for all their lives. I've personally seen friends and family go homeless because their land lords chose to raise the rent with no merit. It's disgusting that this country can not protect it's own people from the desires of landlords to make some extra money thanks to the effects of a global pandemic. So many of my young peers live 2-5 to a rental, just so that their meager wages can total up to the inflated rents. We have people living in this country like caged animals, because you all wont lift a finger to protect the people of this nation. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, how you let the greed of pitiful landlords dictate the quality of life for Americans.

    The rent is too damn high and I’m counting on FHFA to take every possible action to regulate rents for all properties with federally backed mortgages. If our public money is financing the business of making money on our homes, the least that you can do as a regulator is attach conditions to these resources that benefit the people. FHFA has successfully taken bold action in the past to help protect tenants during COVID-19 and to look out for residents of manufactured housing, and I am counting on FHFA to take similar action to help tenants like me during this time of intense economic hardship.

    I am a member of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, and a leader with the Homes Guarantee campaign. The Homes Guarantee campaign is led by over 52 tenant-led organizations from all corners of the country. We have a long term vision for a world where everyone has access to safe, sustainable and TRULY affordable housing. In the short term we are organizing to win an executive order on rent regulation from the President— see more here: https://damnhighrent.com

    Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you would like to get in touch with me, please contact Grace White, the Homes Guarantee Organizer at g.white@peoplesaction.org.
    Sincerely,
    David